perdition

American  

[per-dish-uhn] / pərˈdɪʃ ən /

noun

1. a state of final spiritual ruin; loss of the soul; damnation.

2. the future state of the wicked.

3. hell.

4. utter destruction or ruin.

5. Obsolete. loss.

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perdition British  

/ pəˈdɪʃən /

noun

1. Christianity

   1. final and irrevocable spiritual ruin

   2. this state as one that the wicked are said to be destined to endure for ever

2. another word for hell

3. archaic utter disaster, ruin, or destruction

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Etymology

Origin of perdition

First recorded in 1300–50; from Latin perditiōn-, stem of perditiō “destruction,” from perdit(us) “lost” (past participle of perdere “to do in, ruin, lose,” from per- per- + -dere, combining form of dare “to give”) + -iō -ion; replacing Middle English perdiciun, from Old French, from Latin, as above

Explanation

Perdition is mainly a religious concept from Christianity that means hell or eternal damnation. Perdition doesn't sound like a lot of fun. If you hear someone say "the fires of perdition," they're talking about the fires of hell. Perdition refers to hell, and especially the religious idea of eternal damnation: suffering for an endless period of time after death. You can also use this word for a more earthly kind of suffering. When you have three exams and an essay due on the same day, you might exclaim, "I'm in perdition!" When you see the word perdition, think "suffering"

Example Sentences

Sons of Perdition was about kids who leave a Mormon fundamentalist group, and An Honest Liar was about deception and a man who tries to expose deception.

From Slate • Mar. 4, 2021

His other films included Jarhead, Road to Perdition and 2008's Revolutionary Road, which starred his then-wife Kate Winslet,

From BBC • Dec. 27, 2019

Over a decade ago, at the time of the film Road To Perdition, I interviewed Daniel Craig and asked him if he’d turned down anything interesting lately.

From The Guardian • Oct. 25, 2015

I could say that the film was counterprogramming against the likes of Spider-Man, The Bourne Identity, and The Road to Perdition.

From Forbes • May 22, 2015

At that moment I wished I’d never set foot on the Path to Perdition.

From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool